Britain foiled Iran nuclear weapon drive: MI6

2012-07-13 13:29

London - Britain's foreign intelligence chief believes his agents prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but that the pariah state will become armed within two years, the Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

In a rare public speech, MI6 boss John Sawers told a meeting of about 100 senior civil servants in London that British agents had foiled Iran's attempts to produce a nuclear weapon as long as four years ago, according to the Telegraph.

"You'd have Iran as a nuclear weapons state in 2008 rather than still being two years away in 2012," the report quoted Sawers as saying last week.

When Iran does finally acquire nuclear status, the intelligence chief warned that Israel and the United States "would face huge dangers".

"I think it will be very tough for any prime minister of Israel or president of the United States to accept a nuclear-armed Iran," he suggested.

The US unleashed a fresh wave of sanctions against Iran on Thursday, ratcheting up pressure to convince Tehran to take seriously concerns about its suspected nuclear weapons programme.

"The treasury and state department actions target more than 50 entities tied to Iran's procurement, petroleum, and shipping networks," the treasury said.

Iran has been subject to severe international economic sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme, which Western powers believe masks an atomic weapons drive despite repeated denials by Tehran.

Comments

jaba.kov - 2012-07-13 14:00

All us Sunni Allies would be under threat by Shiite Martyr
wannabee lunatics. Only global Caliphate Shia style & their useful idiot allies (fidel/Russia) see this as a good thing. If Iran declares war by blocking the Straits,it should be treated as a war against the Mullah rulers who need to be removed just as Hitler did.

jaba.kov - 2012-07-13 14:49

the great Persians are not the crazed mullahs & ayatollahs of today - in the same way as the ancient Egyptians have nothing in common with the Egypt of today.

gerhard.kress.3 - 2012-07-13 14:51

Iran only controls one side of the Strait of Hormuz. So there . . . .

michael.i.wright - 2012-07-13 14:53

Just out of interest Jaba, when last did Iran start a war with someone?

fidel.mgoqi - 2012-07-13 15:08

@Jaba
This really is a rather lame argument and I suspect that you know that.

allcoveredinNinjas - 2012-07-13 15:26

Iran hasn't been honest or respected international diplomacy since it became a theocracy . Its been deceitful in its dealings and would have had nuclear energy long ago if it wasn't for this. The IAEA (independent body tasked with nuclear regulation)has not green lit their operations for good reason , this is just a taste of why the international community isn't gonna play school yard games with nuclear weapons with a state that has two decades of deception regarding its nuclear ambitions.

fidel.mgoqi - 2012-07-13 15:38

Which country has ever been transparent when it comes to nuclear proliferation. Every country has developed their nuclear capability in secret, including Israel.
@Moderator
Moderation is considered censorship in some countries. You scream for freedom of the press but you don't want the freedom of ideas, losers...

allcoveredinNinjas - 2012-07-13 15:56

Once again schoolyard stuff , by all means look up the clandestine nuclear proliferation network .Iran , Pakistan , Libya and Iraqi involvement as well as attempts to buy nuclear weapons off the shelf from North Korea . Once caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar they acknowledged it .Gaddaffi turned his in to the US (not Nato or the UN). Pakistan still harbours AQ Kahn to prevent internationl questioning . Very different to pre-NPT development by the US in WW2 and the Soviet Union after that.

michael.i.wright - 2012-07-13 18:06

@Allcovereinninjas, regarding the information regarding Iran's apparent desire to gain nukes in order to start WW3. How much of this info is certain and verifiable beyond doubt and how much of it was supplied by the same folks who gave us Saddam's WMD's that suddenly ceased to exist?
Also, isn't it curious that all the countries being knocked over like dominoes in recent times, all have as a common denominator, a lack of interest in playing ball with international banking.

devon.riley.52 - 2012-07-13 14:35

Good work 007

Richard - 2012-07-13 15:55

Iran with Nuclear Missile is untenable and unthinkable. Iran, a theocracy and largely a law unto itself, with nuclear weapon capability would destabilise the entire world, let alone the middle east. Imagine nucleur weapons "accidentally" falling into the hands of hezbollah, hamas, the taliban, al qaeda and all other movements (no judgements) as a result....
And, I am not a supporter of Israel, primarily due to its intransigent position on a 2-state solution with the Palestinians, so that's not a factor in my post.

fidel.mgoqi - 2012-07-13 16:11

You might not trust the Iranians, but I trust the Israelis even less. A theocracy that is law unto itself, sending terrorists to foreign lands to assassinate its opponents.
I am not a supporter of Iran either.

Richard - 2012-07-13 17:53

Israel, though, is constrained by its relationship with the US. I can't see Israel acting unilaterally in using its nuclear capability without the express approval of the US...
I can't say that Iran is constrained by anything other than its own religious interpretations of right and wrong, and that power rests in the hands of a few Iranian clerics.. a bit unsettling to my liking..

fidel.mgoqi - 2012-07-14 10:26

But the US acts unilaterally ALL the time, so this is a mute point. Both of these countries are rogues, without any regard for intl law or institutions.

bran.deditems.9 - 2012-07-14 22:50

If Iran gets nuclear weapons. The UFO's will come and disable them. Just like they did to ours. The only thing I can see why the US is freaking out about Iran, or any other country, getting a nuclear weapon is because for a short amount of time they will be the only ones with a working nuke.